Kevil’s

Thankfully, life has its little sure bets. Those things you can trust in with an unwavering faith because you know they’ll come through for you. Warm baths. Steak and chips. Cold beer on a hot day. They’re classics because they never let you down; no matter where you are or how you’re feeling. But we think it’s time to add another classic to that list – BMWs made by Kevil’s Speed Shop in Devon, on the English Riviera. It seems to us that they just can’t put a foot wrong. And here’s another great build of theirs. Just don’t ride it while you’re drunk, eating or naked.

While possibly the least effective language to serenade someone, the German dialect has an unusually large repertoire of words to describe some very particular feelings. For example – deppenfahrerbeäugung is the glare you throw a bad driver after overtaking them and backpfeifengesicht means a ‘a face that asks to be slapped’. UK-based Kevil’s Speed Shop have seized this wonderfully descriptive language to name their 1983 BMW R80 the Uber – a German prefix meaning anything great or superlative. And also an affordable crowd-sourced taxi company. But mostly the superlative bit.

If you ever found yourself in England and in desperate need of a cleansing ale, get yourself a Fullers. And if you wanted transport to get to the pub, try a Jaguar. Then say, perhaps, you find yourself low on petrol while en route, a British Petroleum service station is ideal. But should you have a moment of clarity while refilling and decide you need a decent custom bike between your legs, then a Kevil’s creation will be your best bet. You see, if there’s one shop that’s as British as bulldogs and bad weather, it’s a Kevil’s Speed Shop creation. And here’s their latest victory; an R80/7 named ‘Artisan’. Just don’t mention the German thing…

If you are going to use a race car as inspiration for your BMW scrambler project, there is not a better, more famous or outrageously cool race car than the 1970 Gulf Porsche 917 featured in Steve McQueen’s movie ‘Le Mans”. The classic Gulf powder blue with marigold orange trim is one of the most iconic racing liveries in history. Kevin Hill from Kevils Speed Shop in Devon, England, decided to use these iconic colors and Porsche 917 as motivation for this sensational street scrambler he has named “Le Mans”. Kevin has a serious soft-spot for old BMW boxers and has built too many to count over the years. He started working in the motor industry straight from school in the early eighties and has had a varied career since, including industrial model making. “I suppose that’s how I got a keen eye for detail and design,” he says. It wasn’t until 2009 that he decided to make his passion of building custom motorcycles his full time job – and we’re sure glad he did.